Maine mass shooting suspect on NYPD radar
A law enforcement official embraces a person outside Schemengees Bar in Lewiston, Maine, where a mass shooting occurred Wednesday night. Credit: AFP / Joseph Prezioso via Getty Images
The NYPD has deployed 900 officers to critical and highly sensitive locations across the city looking for the man believed responsible for a pair of mass shootings Wednesday night in Lewiston, Maine, officials said.
NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said although the alleged gunman, Robert Card, 40, had no direct connections to the region, which is located five hours from Lewiston, and has not been spotted in the area, the department, out of an abundance of caution, has beefed up its resources looking for the suspect.
“There was no specific credible threat to New York City, but to me, you could not remain idle,” Caban said at a Manhattan news conference Thursday. “Our mission is to always protect New Yorkers. And that's exactly what we're going to do … So with each passing hour, we have a duty to ensure we have appropriate resources at the ready should the suspect somehow turn up here.”
The department, Caban said, has issued an alert with a photo of Card to the smartphone of every NYPD officer and has dispatched investigators to Lewiston to assist in the search and the multiagency investigation.
A massive search is underway in Maine for Card, the suspect in a shooting at a bowling alley and a restaurant that left 18 dead and 13 more injured, police said Thursday. Card had been committed to a mental health facility last summer, law enforcement officials said.
NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said the department mobilized 900 officers to key city entry points, including bus and train stations, while aviation resources will be staggered throughout the day.
“We’re going to stay in this posture all day,” he said.
The Suffolk County Police Department said it continued to monitor the situation in Maine and additional units would be deployed if needed.
Nassau police are working with local, state and federal intelligence partners on the investigation, according to a department spokesman. As a precaution, two officers will be stationed in patrol cars when responding to all service calls, the spokesman said.
Rebecca Weiner, deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism for the NYPD, said despite the enhanced resources, there’s no reason for New Yorkers to be concerned.
“We are quite confident at this point that this horrific crime has no nexus to New York City,” she said.
The NYPD has deployed 900 officers to critical and highly sensitive locations across the city looking for the man believed responsible for a pair of mass shootings Wednesday night in Lewiston, Maine, officials said.
NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said although the alleged gunman, Robert Card, 40, had no direct connections to the region, which is located five hours from Lewiston, and has not been spotted in the area, the department, out of an abundance of caution, has beefed up its resources looking for the suspect.
“There was no specific credible threat to New York City, but to me, you could not remain idle,” Caban said at a Manhattan news conference Thursday. “Our mission is to always protect New Yorkers. And that's exactly what we're going to do … So with each passing hour, we have a duty to ensure we have appropriate resources at the ready should the suspect somehow turn up here.”
The department, Caban said, has issued an alert with a photo of Card to the smartphone of every NYPD officer and has dispatched investigators to Lewiston to assist in the search and the multiagency investigation.
A massive search is underway in Maine for Card, the suspect in a shooting at a bowling alley and a restaurant that left 18 dead and 13 more injured, police said Thursday. Card had been committed to a mental health facility last summer, law enforcement officials said.
NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said the department mobilized 900 officers to key city entry points, including bus and train stations, while aviation resources will be staggered throughout the day.
“We’re going to stay in this posture all day,” he said.
The Suffolk County Police Department said it continued to monitor the situation in Maine and additional units would be deployed if needed.
Nassau police are working with local, state and federal intelligence partners on the investigation, according to a department spokesman. As a precaution, two officers will be stationed in patrol cars when responding to all service calls, the spokesman said.
Rebecca Weiner, deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism for the NYPD, said despite the enhanced resources, there’s no reason for New Yorkers to be concerned.
“We are quite confident at this point that this horrific crime has no nexus to New York City,” she said.
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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